Household appliance for preparing hot beverages

ABSTRACT

An appliance for preparing hot beverages, such as a coffee maker, comprises a boiling chamber heated by an external or internal source, a vessel adjoining the boiling chamber in which water is indirectly heated to form an infusion, and a cup removably seated on that vessel for holding a liquid--e.g. milk--to be separately heated. A tube with a restricted outlet, which may be designed as a gooseneck, rises from the boiling chamber to discharge steam into the liquid contained in the cup. The boiling chamber may form a platform for the infusion-brewing vessel or may spacedly surround same, the steam tube passing axially through the vessel in the latter instance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

My present invention relates to an appliance, especially one forhousehold use, serving for the preparation of hot beverages. Moreparticularly, but not exclusively, this invention pertains to a deviceused for making coffee with hot milk, known as Capuccino.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of my present invention is to provide a convenient appliancefor the purpose set forth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Such an appliance, pursuant to my present invention, essentiallycomprises a boiling chamber to be filled with water for generating steamupon being exposed to a source of heat, a receptacle remote from thatchamber designed to contain a liquid --such as milk--to be separatelyheated, and conduit means extending from the boiling chamber foremitting the generated steam into the last-mentioned liquid through anoutlet located within that receptacle.

According to a more particular feature of my invention, usable when abeverage to be prepared is an infusion such as coffee to be mixed withthe steamed liquid, the appliance further comprises a vessel separatedfrom the boiling chamber by one or two thermally conductive wallsthrough which water in that vessel can be indirectly heated. The vessel,accordingly, may be internally provided with filter means for holdingground coffee or other organic matter from which an infusion is to bebrewed.

Advantageously, the receptacle containing the liquid to be steamed iscarried above the boiling chamber on the infusion-forming vessel. Theboiling chamber may be designed as a hollow base or platform supportingthe vessel or as a jacket spacedly surrounding at least the lower partthereof.

In any event, the water in the boiling chamber may be vaporized byeither an external or an internal source of heat. That source, forexample, could be a gas burner or a hot plate on which the boilingchamber is placed, or a suitably insulated resistance element in thatchamber to be energized through a cable plugged into a wall socket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The above and other features of my invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view of an appliance embodying myinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to part of FIG. 1, showing analternative arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view of another appliance embodying myinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, illustrating a modificationof that appliance.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a household appliance 1 according to my present invention,comprising a hollow base 2 which constitutes a boiling chamber boundedby a lower wall 3 and an upper wall 14. These walls are preferably madeof a metal of good thermal conductivity, such as copper. A riser tube 4extends from the upper chamber wall 14 and telescopically receives thelonger leg of an extension tube 5 of inverted-J shaped. Tube 5 reachesas a gooseneck around the rim of an upwardly open, cup-shaped receptacle15 having a pouring spout 19 and a handle 20; a central boss 21 of cup15 reduces its effective volume so that a predetermined quantity of milk22 can reach a level well above a nozzle 6 formed by a tapered outletend of the short leg of tube 5. Cup 15 is supported on a cover 23closing the top of an infusion-brewing vessel 13, such as a conventionalpercolator, which sits on the upper chamber wall 14 and has at least itsbottom made of a metal of good thermal conductivity in order to let abody of water 24 in that vessel be heated indirectly by water 25 boilingwithin chamber 2. That chamber is further provided with apressure-relief valve 7, a filling hole closed during operation by aplug 8, and a handle 9 also serving as a brace for tube 4. The upper endof that tube is threaded to mate with a clamping nut 11 which holds theextension tube 5 in position through a sealing ring 12. A nonmetallicsleeve 10 on the horizontal part of tube 5 serves as a thermallyinsulating grip to enable a raising or lowering of the tube upon aloosening of nut 11.

Cover 23, bearing upon a sealing ring 26, holds a funnel 16 with a neck17 suspended from the rim of vessel 13. A filter screen 27 in funnel 16supports a load of ground coffee 28 through which the water 24 in vessel13 percolates upon being heated by way of boiling chamber 2. Steamgenerated in that chamber, rising through tubes 4 and 5, is ejected by anozzle 6 into the layer of milk 22 present in cup 15. Thus, the brewingof the coffee infusion in percolator 13 coincides with the steaming ofthe milk in receptacle 15, enabling these two liquids to be subsequentlycombined into a Capuccino-type beverage.

As already noted, the water 25 in chamber 2 can be boiled by means ofeither an external or an internal heat source.

FIG. 2 shows the possibility of heating a beverage in a drinking cup 18by steam emitted from nozzle 6 of tube 5; thus, the device of FIG. 1 canalso be used for reheating coffee about to be served in cup 18.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 3 showing a household appliance ofthe same basic structure as the coffee maker illustrated in FIG. 1,comprising an annular boiling chamber 31 centered on a vertical axis, aninfusion-brewing vessel 34 coaxial therewith, and a cup-shapedreceptacle 32; containers 31, 34 and 32 are respectively filled withwater 25, water 24 and milk 22. Vessel 34 is spacedly surrounded by theperipheral wall of chamber 31 and is raised above the bottom of thatchamber by several feet 43. The top of chamber 31 forms a threaded rim44 onto which an annular bottom flange 45 of cup 32 is screwed. Asealing ring 46, clamped between rim 44 and flange 45, holds in positiona funnel 35 and a cover 47. A filter 40 separated in funnel 35 has anupstanding nipple 48 embracing a riser tube 36 which rests on the bottomof vessel 34 and communicates with the interior of chamber 31 through arestricted opening 37; tube 36 passes axially, with clearance, throughthe neck 35' of funnel 35 as well as through an upwardly open centralnipple 33 of receptacle 32 which rises above the level of the volume ofmilk 22 contained therein; the tube penetrates the cover 47 with a tightfit. A cap nut 49 screwed onto the threaded top of tube 36 openslaterally into an extension tube 38 which dips into the milk 22 and hasa restricted outlet 50 for the emission of steam; tubes 36 and 38 thusform again a gooseneck reaching from above into the cup-shaped milkreceptacle.

The operation of the device of FIG. 3 is analogous to that of theappliance described with reference to FIG. 1. Thus, the mass of coffeegrounds 28 supported on filter screen 40 is percolated by the water 24which is indirectly heated from a nonillustrated source through theintermediary of the water 25 boiling in chamber 41. The steam generatedin that chamber is injected into the milk layer 22 for heating same.

Chamber 31 may be provided with a nonillustrated safety valve similar tothat shown at 7 in FIG. 1. As in the preceding embodiment, this chambermay be heated from below by a gas flame or a hot plate, for example, ormay be internally provided with an electrical resistance element.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modification of the appliance of FIG. 3 in whichthe central nipple 33' of receptacle 32 has an upward extension 33"supporting a closure cap 41. The latter spacedly surrounds that nippleand forms therewith a steam compartment communicating with the interiorof receptacle 32 through peripheral orifices 42 lying below the level ofmilk layer 22. Riser tube 36' terminates within nipple 33' and isprovided at its upper end with a throttle valve 39 restricting theoutflow of steam. That valve could also be disposed at a lower point ofthe tube. The device of FIG. 4 operates generally in the same manner asthat of FIG. 3.

Naturally, the cup 32 of FIGS. 3 and 4 can also be provided with ahandle, which has not been illustrated.

I claim:
 1. An appliance for the preparation of hot beverages,comprising:a boiling chamber fillable with water for generating steamupon being exposed to a source of heat; a receptacle remote from saidboiling chamber adapted to contain a liquid to be separately heated;conduit means extending from said boiling chamber and terminating in anoutlet within said receptacle for emitting the generated steam into theliquid contained therein; a vessel separated by thermally conductivewall means from said boiling chamber for indirectly heating liquidpresent in said vessel, said receptacle being supported on a coverclosing the top of said vessel, said boiling chamber being formed by ajacket spacedly surrounding at least a lower part of said vessel, saidvessel being spaced above the bottom of said boiling chamber, saidconduit means comprising a tube rising centrally within said vessel andpenetrating said cover, said receptacle having a central nipplesurrounding at least part of an upper end of said tube.
 2. An applianceas defined in claim 1 wherein said vessel is internally provided withfilter means for supporting organic matter from which an infusion is tobe brewed in said body of water.
 3. An appliance as defined in claim 1wherein said tube projects above said nipple and terminates in agooseneck extending from above into said receptacle.
 4. An appliance asdefined in claim 1 wherein said tube terminates within said nipple, thelatter being enshrouded by a cap having apertures communicating with theupper end of said tube through the top of said nipple.
 5. An applianceas defined in claim 4 wherein said tube is provided with a throttlevalve restricting the outflow of steam therefrom.
 6. An appliance forthe preparation of a hot beverage, comprising:means defining a boilingchamber fillable with water; a receptacle mounted on said boilingchamber but separated therefrom; a vessel mounted on said boilingchamber and separated from said boiling chamber and said receptacle; anda tube adapted to reach below the level of liquid in said boilingchamber and to extend therefrom and having a gooseneck at a free end ofsaid tube reaching into said receptacle, said vessel being provided witha filter containing solids adapted to form an infusion beverage at leastin part with liquid heated by said boiling chamber.